| 摘要 |
An apparatus (1) for measuring distensibility of a vessel, lumen or sphincter comprises a balloon catheter (8) having a balloon (12) located adjacent a distal end (11) of a catheter (9) for inserting in, for example, the sphincter (3), the distensibility of which is to be determined. The balloon (12) is inflated to a first pressure to distend the sphincter, and the distensibility of the sphincter (3) is determined as the transverse cross-sectional area to which the sphincter (3) distends when the pressure of the inflating medium in the balloon (12) has been raised to the first pressure. By comparing the distensibility of the sphincter (3) with reference distensibility values of healthy and diseased sphincters, the state of the sphincter (3) under investigation can be determined. In an alternative embodiment of the invention a distensibility index is determined as being the slope of a line y=mx+c containing two values of transverse cross-sectional area of the sphincter (3) which correspond to the distension of the sphincter when the balloon (12) is inflated to respective first and second pressures.
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